Carlos Arroyo

Carlos Alberto Arroyo Bermudez (born July 30, 1979 in Fajardo, Puerto Rico) is Puerto Rican professional basketball player. Arroyo is the fifth player from Puerto Rico to play in the NBA and has become arguably the most successful of them in NBA history. Arroyo has played in the NBA, NCAA, and the National Superior Basketball League of Puerto Rico (BSN) with the Cangrejeros de Santurce and Fajardo. Arroyo has played internationally in Spain. Arroyo was a member of the Puerto Rican National Basketball Team that most notably defeated the United States in the 2004 Olympic Games. He also represented his country in the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan.
Contents
[hide]

* 1 Early career
* 2 Career with the Utah Jazz
* 3 Career with the Detroit Pistons
* 4 Career with the Orlando Magic
* 5 Arroyo with the Puerto Rican National Team
* 6 Career statistics
* 7 Personal life
* 8 See also
* 9 References
* 10 External links

[edit] Early career

Arroyo began his career in the National Superior Basketball League of Puerto Rico, where he debuted with the Fajardo Cariduros and subsecuently played for the Santurce Crabbers, where he was a teammate of then starting center of the Puerto Rico national basketball team, José Ortíz. During his participation with the team the Crabbers won four consecutive national titles in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2003, winning five league championships in six years. Arroyo studied in Florida International University from 1998 to 2001, where he played for the campus' team, the Golden Panthers.[1] He was a four-year letterman in the university having completed his baccalaureate and played with the team four years, establishing several records in the team's history. Among this records is the all-time lead in assists scored, having made 459 successful passes.[2] Arroyo is also the only player in Florida International University to have scored more than six hundred points in a single season.[2] He is in the second global possition in lifetime scoring, having scored 1,600 points troughout his universitary career, with an average of 16.0 points per game and 4.6 assists per game over his 100 games.[3] Arroyo was also selected as a member of the Sun Belt Conference's All-Star team on two separate occassions.[4] On January 5, 2007, Florida International University presented a ceremony where Arroyo's universitary number (30) was simbolically retired to recognize his performance with the institution's team.[5]

After graduating from college, Arroyo was signed by the National Basketball Association's Toronto Raptors for the 2001-02 NBA season, but was released in January 2002. He then played briefly in Spain before being signed by the Denver Nuggets in March of the same year. He saw limited action with those two teams, playing seventeen games with the Raptors and twenty with the Nuggets before his initial NBA season was over. He only played an average of 9.7 minutes per game during those thirty seven games where he saw action.

[edit] Career with the Utah Jazz

With the impending retirement of John Stockton, the Jazz needed a reliable replacement point guard. They envisioned Arroyo as being the player who could fill Stockton's shoes, acquiring him to start the 2002-03 NBA season. Arroyo was then relegated once again to watching from the bench, though head coach Jerry Sloan instructed Arroyo to observe Stockton and back-up guard Mark Jackson, who was also nearing retirement.

Arroyo was given the starting job after Stockton retired and Jackson joined the Houston Rockets before the start of the 2003-04 NBA season. He surprised many Jazz fans, and by November 2003 he was ranked 11th in the league in assists per game. On November 14, he broke the record for most points scored by a Puerto Rican in an NBA game, scoring 30 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

[edit] Career with the Detroit Pistons

During the 2004-05 NBA season with the Jazz, Arroyo had several disputes with Sloan. He eventually found himself back on the bench. In January 2005, Arroyo was traded to the Detroit Pistons for veteran center Elden Campbell (who would quickly be waived and later be reclaimed by the Pistons).

With the Pistons, Arroyo came within one game of becoming the second Puerto Rican to win an NBA championship. What was dubbed by some Hispanic newspapers as The Hispanic NBA Finals (because Arroyo played for the Pistons and Argentine Manu Ginobili starred for the San Antonio Spurs) was won by the Spurs, in seven games, with a final game score of 81-74. Arroyo's playing time was reduced significantly due to Larry Brown's tight defensive style.

Initially, with Pistons coach Flip Saunders' style of coaching, Arroyo received more minutes of playing time, and demonstrated value off the bench. He led the team in assists several times despite playing fewer minutes than other players. However, again, his minutes declined as the season progressed.

On January 11, 2006, Arroyo was suspended for one game after he allegedly ran into an official during the Pistons' 96-86 victory over the New Orleans Hornets on January 10.

[edit] Career with the Orlando Magic

On February 15 2006, Arroyo was dealt (along with Darko Miličić) from Detroit to the Orlando Magic, in exchange for Kelvin Cato and a future first-round draft choice.

The addition of Arroyo and Miličić, plus the return of point guard Jameer Nelson from the injured list, sparked a resurgence of the Magic in the last quarter of the 2005-2006 season, as they finished with a 12-3 run, nearly reaching the playoffs. During this run, the team had an 8-game winning streak, beating top teams such as the Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat and the Detroit Pistons. During the stretch run, Arroyo averaged 22.1 MPG, 10.8 PPG, 2.9 APG, and 2.2 RPG off the bench, which earned Arroyo the back-up point guard position behind Nelson. These averages are significant improvements from the statistics he accumulated with the Pistons, when he averaged only 12 minutes per game. He scored a season-high 21 points against the Phoenix Suns on March 3 ,2006.

On April 9, 2006, Arroyo injured his left hamstring and was sidelined for 4 games, returning on April 17 and scoring 17 points in the last game of the season.

Arroyo started the 2006-07 season as the team's backup point guard but was demoted by the team's coach Brian Hill following an offensive slump, eventually returning to this position during mid season.

On December 29, 2007, Arroyo was promoted to the starting position after Nelson experienced a extended offensive slump.[6] With Nelson in the starting position during this period the team was having an average of seventeen turnovers per game, and he was unable to score in double digits on 10 out of 17 games.[6] This led to Stan Van Gundy issuing several public notices concerning the team's performance eventually leading to changes in the starting formation.[6] During Arroyo's first three games in the starting position the ammount of turnovers produced by the team was lowered to eleven per game.[6] Carlos' points average was within double digits in all of these games and he scored seventeen assists.[6][7]

[edit] Arroyo with the Puerto Rican National Team

While Arroyo has only seen moderate success in the NBA, he has become one of the best international point guards. During the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Arroyo led the Puerto Rican National Basketball Team throughout the competition with 18 points per game overall, and led them to a 92-73 victory over the United States with 25 points, 7 assists, and 4 steals. Arroyo was selected as All-Olympic honors.[8]

During the 2006 FIBA World Championship, Arroyo averaged 21.2 PPG, 4.6 RPG and 5.2 APG in five games for the Puerto Rican team. Arroyo finished tied for fourth in PPG during the 2006 FIBA World Championship with fellow Puerto Rican teammate Larry Ayuso.

[edit] Career statistics

Arroyo's NBA stats in 371 games with 93 games started are 2,591 points with a 7.0 PPG, 1,192 assists with a 3.2 APG, 619 rebounds with a 1.7 RPG, 207 steals with a 0.6 SPG, 17 blocks, .429 field goal percentage, .794 free-throw percentage, and .308 3-point percentage.

[edit] Personal life

Carlos Arroyo was born and raised on Fajardo, Puerto Rico. He graduated from Colegio Santiago Apostol in Fajardo. Arroyo is married and has a daughter, Gabriella Arroyo. On November 2, 2007 Carlos was forced to miss two games with the Orlando Magic when he had to make a emergency travel to Puerto Rico because his daughter was suffering from Pneumonia

Hilton Armstrong

Hilton A. Armstrong, Jr. (born November 23, 1984, in Peekskill, New York) is an American professional basketball player for the NBA's New Orleans Hornets. A former forward/center for the University of Connecticut Huskies. He was selected by the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets (who have since moved out of their temporary Oklahoma City arena) with the 12th overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft. He is known for his shotblocking and athleticism.

[edit] College

After graduating from Peekskill High School, Armstrong started off slowly as a college athlete, averaging less than 4 points in each of first 3 seasons at UConn. However, he greatly improved his senior year averaging 9.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.1 blocks, and shooting 61% from the field. He followed after his teammate Josh Boone and won the Big East Defensive Player of the Year in the 2005-06 season.

Darrell Armstrong

Player profile

Armstrong has been long respected around the NBA for his intensity and hard-nosed defense. In his prime (1998-2000) he not only averaged double digit points per game, but also over two steals a game and over six assists. His defense is even more impressive than his numbers show because of his mastery of drawing charges.

[edit] Early life

Armstrong did not play basketball in high school until his senior year, and did not play again until his junior year of college.[1] Armstrong played college basketball at Fayetteville State University. After college he was not drafted by the NBA, but played in the Global Basketball Association and United States Basketball League as well as in Europe. He began his basketball career for a team in Larnaca, Cyprus called Pezoporikos.[citation needed]

[edit] NBA career

He first signed with the NBA as a free agent for the Orlando Magic in 1995. Armstrong won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award and the NBA Most Improved Player Award in 1999 thus becoming the first player in NBA history to win both awards simultaneously. He subsequently became the starting point guard for the Magic. During his nine years in Orlando, the Magic never posted a losing record, making the post-season seven times. During the 2003 off-season, Armstrong signed with the New Orleans Hornets as a free agent. He was traded by the Hornets to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Dan Dickau and a second round draft pick on December 3, 2004. After appearing in the 2005-2006 NBA Finals with the Mavericks, he was traded to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for guard Anthony Johnson in July 2006.

Armstrong was released by the Pacers on October 1, 2007, and signed with the Nets after clearing waivers.[2][3]

[edit] Miscellaneous

Armstrong completed a reverse layup in the 1996 Slam Dunk Contest. The "dunk" was deemed the worst dunk in NBA Slam Dunk Contest history by Kenny Smith.[1]

On July 7, 2003, he was arrested after an incident outside an Orlando night club. He was subsequently charged with resisting arrest and assaulting a police officer, but the case was eventually dismissed.[4]

On December 19th, 2005, while he was still with the Dallas Mavericks, Armstrong was fined $1,000 for grabbing a microphone before a Mavs game against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the American Airlines Center and yelling "How 'bout those Redskins!" Only a few hours prior, the Cowboys had been routed by the Redskins 35-7. Armstrong was raised in North Carolina as a Redskins fan.

Trevor Ariza

*

E-mail photo|Buy photos

2007-08 Statistics

PPG
5.3
RPG
2.80
APG
1.3
EFF
+ 7.34

Born: Jun 30, 1985
Height: 6-8 / 2,03
Weight: 210 lbs. / 95,3 kg.
College: UCLA
Years Pro: 3

Gilbert Arenas

Gilbert Jay Arenas Jr. (born January 6, 1982 in Tampa,[1] Florida[2]) is an American professional basketball player. As of November 2007, he plays for the NBA's Washington Wizards. Arenas overcame his modest NBA debut, including being a second-round draft pick, to establish himself as one of the most dominant and clutch players in the NBA.

From the time of his entry into the league, Arenas's popularity soared. He transformed himself from being a relative unknown to being voted by fans as an All-Star starter for the Eastern Conference in 2007. Arenas overcame a 213,000 vote deficit at one point to edge out Vince Carter by just over 3,000 votes for the second of the two starting guard spots, the other spot going to Dwyane Wade.[3] Arenas was most often nicknamed "Agent Zero," but has increasingly been referred to as "Hibachi."[4] Both names have quickly become fan favorites in the Washington area.
Contents
[hide]

* 1 Rise to prominence
o 1.1 2005-06 season
o 1.2 2006-07 season
* 2 Player profile
* 3 "Gilbertology"
* 4 Personal life
* 5 Awards/honors
o 5.1 Career records
o 5.2 NBA records
* 6 References
* 7 See also
* 8 External links

[edit] Rise to prominence

While going into the 2001 NBA Draft out of the University of Arizona, Gilbert did not seem much of a prospect. Teams in the first round passed on Arenas because he lacked the size needed at the shooting guard position in the NBA and lacked the awareness and ball handling skills of a point guard. With no position solidified and a shaky prospect at best, he went the entire 1st round without being drafted. The Golden State Warriors finally drafted him in the second round (31st overall). Although the Warriors did not enjoy much team success during Arenas' tenure with them, he quickly established himself as one of the league's bright young talents. In 2003, his second year in the league, Arenas received the NBA Most Improved Player Award. After that season, he was one of the most sought-after free agents of the NBA. He signed with the Washington Wizards, reportedly after flipping a coin to decide among several teams, including the Wizards, Warriors, and Los Angeles Clippers.[5]

Arenas had a disappointing first season with the Wizards, battling a strained abdominal muscle injury all season. However, Arenas enjoyed great success in his second season in Washington. He teamed up with shooting guard Larry Hughes (22.0 points per game) in 2004-05 to give the Wizards the highest scoring backcourt duo in the NBA and was selected to his first NBA All-Star Game. He guided the team to a 45-win season and its first playoff berth since 1997. Arenas led the team in scoring with 25.5 ppg, and finished seventh in the league in that category. He also finished sixth in the league in steals per game in 2004-05 with 1.74 (Hughes led the league with 2.89 steals per game).

Known for his fierce competitiveness and somewhat unusual behavior, Arenas quickly became a fan favorite in Washington. In the fifth game of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs in 2005, Arenas hit a 16-foot fadeaway as time expired to give the Wizards a 112-110 win over the Chicago Bulls. The Wizards eventually won the series, the franchise's first such victory in more than a decade.

[edit] 2005-06 season

Arenas had a career year during the 2005-06 season in which he averaged 29.3 points, which ranked fourth among the scoring leaders, two steals (also fourth), and 6.1 assists per game. Despite his accomplishments, neither fans nor coaches would select Arenas to the 2006 All-Star Game. He was able to get in due to the injury to Indiana Pacers forward/center Jermaine O'Neal. He was also able to get in to the Three-point Shootout because Phoenix Suns guard Raja Bell was excused due to a family illness. Arenas was the runner up to Dirk Nowitzki in the contest.[6]

On February 25, 2006, Arenas scored 46 points in less than 30 minutes, setting the NBA record for the most points scored in 30 minutes or fewer of playing time since the 24-second shot clock was implemented in 1954. He put up twelve 40-point games and forty three 30-point games in the 2005-06 NBA season.[7]

During the offseason, Arenas said that he was willing to take a pay cut in order to give the Wizards additional money with which to sign available free agents. He has expressed a desire to win a championship with the Wizards.

[edit] 2006-07 season

It was during this season that Arenas established himself as one of the greatest clutch players in the NBA. On January 3 of the season, Arenas hit a 32-foot buzzer beater to win the game against the Milwaukee Bucks, 108-105. Two weeks later on Martin Luther King Day he hit yet another buzzer-beating three pointer to beat the Utah Jazz, 114-111, in a thriller at the Verizon Center. He also hit a game-winning layup as time expired to beat the Seattle Supersonics on March 22, 2007.

In an overtime game versus the Los Angeles Lakers on December 17, 2006 at the Staples Center, Arenas scored a career high 60 points, adding 8 rebounds and 8 assists in helping lead the Wizards over the Lakers 147-141. Arenas now holds the Wizards' franchise record for most points scored in a game by an individual. The previous record was held by Earl Monroe with 56 points, achieved in 1968 which was also an overtime game against the Lakers. His 16 points in the extra period also set an NBA record for most points in one overtime period, surpassing Earl Boykins' record by one point. [8]

Gilbert became noted during the season for his anger with his snub by Team USA for the 2006 FIBA World Championship. Although Team USA Managing Director Jerry Colangelo and Assistant Coach Mike D'Antoni blamed Arenas's not making the team because of injury, there is evidence that he would not have been chosen anyway due to his scant playing time during preliminaries.

Arenas himself has noted that he withdrew from the United States national team for the 2006 FIBA World Championship because he felt that assistant coaches Mike D'Antoni and Nate McMillan had pre-determined the roster even prior to tryouts. Afterward, he stated that he planned on averaging 50 points against their respective teams (Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers). He succeeded at his goal versus power house Phoenix (reportedly eyeing in the direction of Suns' Chairman Colangelo and Suns' coach Mike D'Antoni after making backbreaking shots, including a miraculous scoop shot to send the game into overtime as specifically detailed by the Washington Post on December 23). However, he was held to a lowly nine points in a loss versus Portland.

On January 26th, 2007, Gilbert was voted as a first-time starter for the 2007 NBA All-Star game for the Eastern Conference, edging out Vince Carter by a slight margin.

Towards the end of the season, Arenas tore his MCL during a game against the Charlotte Bobcats when Gerald Wallace fell into his leg. The Wizards struggled to finish the season with Arenas and teammate Caron Butler both being injured. Washington earned a playoff berth, but was swept in the first round in a rematch with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

During the offseason, Arenas told the Washington Post that he would "opt out" of his contract after the 2007-08 season, making him a free agent. He stated, "…if something happens where they don't want me or they're going in a different direction, I can look elsewhere. But my intentions are not to leave."[9]

[edit] Player profile

Arenas is a prototype "shoot-first pass-second" point guard. He is a highly skilled scorer who currently scores at a rate of almost 30 points per game (2005-06 regular season average: 29.3), often using his trademark slashing drives to the basket as well as his long-range jumpshot. He is also one of the best ball thieves in the NBA, currently 2nd in the steals category with 63 and 2.0 steals per game (as of January 4, 2007).

However, his assists per game lifetime average is an unremarkable 5.4, and moreover, he is very turnover-prone, as his lifetime TO rate of 3.35 per game proves (he also "leads" the 2006 TO statistics with 3.71 and the previous three years in the top ten). In addition, his on-ball defensive game is still considered below average.

In spite of his critics, he is currently lauded as one of the best guards in the game, as his 2006 Eastern Conference All-Star call-up indicates

Joel Anthony

Joel Vincent Anthony (born August 9, 1982, in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian professional basketball player. He plays center for the NBA's Miami Heat. He played three seasons of college basketball at UNLV.

Carmelo Anthony

His father, after whom Anthony is named, died of cancer when Anthony was three years old.[2] When Anthony turned eight, his family moved to Baltimore, where he honed not only his athletic skills, but his survival skills.[3] Kenny Minor, one of Anthony's childhood friends, said, "from drugs to killings to anything you can name that goes on in the roughest parts of town, we've seen and witnessed hands on. Those are the things that teach you toughness and keep you mentally focused on your goals."[3] Sports would serve as an important diversion from the violence and drug dealing that were pervasive in the housing projects a few blocks from the homes of Anthony and his friends.[3]

[edit] High school career

Anthony commuted to Towson Catholic High School for his first three years of high school. During the summer of 2000, when he grew five inches, he made a name for himself in the area, being named The Baltimore Sun's metro player of the year in 2001, as well as Baltimore Catholic League player of the year.[4] Anthony transferred to Oak Hill Academy in Virginia for his senior campaign. While at Oak Hill Academy, Anthony was named to the McDonald's All-American Team and won the Sprite Slam Jam dunk contest prior to the McDonald’s All-American game.[4] He was also named a USA Today First-Team All-American and a Parade First-Team All-American.

[edit] College career

Anthony played one season (2002-2003) at Syracuse University. He averaged 22.1 points (16th in the NCAA, 4th in the Big East) and 10.0 rebounds (19th in the NCAA, 3rd in the Big East, 1st among NCAA Division I freshmen). Anthony helped guide the Orangemen to their first ever NCAA tournament title in 2003. He led the team in scoring, rebounding, minutes played (36.4 minutes per game), field goals made and free throws made and attempted. Anthony's 33-point outburst against the University of Texas in the Final Four set an NCAA tournament record for most points by a freshman. In the championship game against the University of Kansas, Anthony had 20 points and 10 rebounds. For his efforts during the NCAA tournament, Anthony earned the tournament's Most Outstanding Player Award. Afterwards, Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim described Anthony as, "....by far, the best player in college basketball. It wasn't even close. Nobody was even close to him last year in college basketball. That's the bottom line."[5]

Anthony said that he originally planned to stay at Syracuse for two to three seasons, but having already accomplished everything he set out to do, he chose to abandon his collegiate career (with Boeheim's blessing) and declared himself eligible for the 2003 NBA Draft.[6][7]

Some of Anthony's highlights in his time with Syracuse include being named Second-Team All-American by the Associated Press as a freshman, leading his team to a 30-5 record, capturing the school's first ever NCAA title and being the consensus pick for NCAA Freshman of the Year. He was also named to the All-Big East First Team and was the consensus selection for the Big East Conference Freshman of the Year.

[edit] NBA career

[edit] Rookie season

Anthony's NBA career began on June 26, 2003, when he was chosen in the first round (3rd overall) of the 2003 NBA Draft draft by the Denver Nuggets. He was selected behind LeBron James (1st overall, Cleveland Cavaliers) and Darko Miličić (2nd overall, Detroit Pistons). He made his NBA regular season debut on October 29, 2003, in an 80-72 home win against the San Antonio Spurs.[8] Anthony finished the night scoring 12 points, grabbing 7 rebounds and dishing out 3 assists. In just his sixth career NBA game (November 7 versus the Los Angeles Clippers), Anthony scored 30 points, becoming the second youngest player in NBA history to score 30 points or more in a game (19 years, 151 days; Kobe Bryant was the youngest).[9] It was the fewest amount of games a Nuggets rookie took to score 30 points in a contest since the ABA/NBA merger. On February 9, 2004, against the Memphis Grizzlies, Anthony became the third-youngest player to reach the 1,000-point plateau in NBA history with a 20-point effort in an 86-83 win.[10]

On February 13, 2004, Anthony participated in the Got Milk? Rookie Challenge at All-Star Weekend. In 30 minutes of playing time, Anthony scored 17 points, grabbed 3 rebounds and dished out 5 assists in a losing effort (142-118). On March 30, 2004, he scored 41 points against the Seattle SuperSonics to set a new Denver Nuggets franchise mark for most points in a game by a rookie.[11] He also became the second-youngest player (19 years, 305 days) to score at least 40 points in a game in NBA history.

After winning the Rookie of the Month award for the Western Conference in the month of April, Anthony became just the fourth player in NBA history to capture all six of the Rookie of the Month awards in a season. The others to do so were David Robinson, Tim Duncan and fellow rookie LeBron James. Anthony was also named NBA Player of the Week twice (March 10-March 14, 2004 and April 6-April 10, 2004) and was a unanimous NBA All-Rookie First Team selection. Anthony averaged 21.0 ppg during the season, which was more than any other rookie. That mark also placed him 12th overall in the entire league. Anthony was second in the NBA Rookie of the Year voting, finishing as the runner-up to the Cavaliers rookie standout, James.

Anthony was a major part in the turn around of the Denver Nuggets from league laughingstock to playoff contender. In the season before Anthony was drafted by the team, the Nuggets finished with a 17-65 record, which tied them for worst in the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers. They finished the 2003-04 campaign with a 43-39 overall record, qualifying them as the eighth seed for the post-season. Anthony became the first NBA rookie to lead a playoff team in scoring since David Robinson of the San Antonio Spurs during the 1989-90 season. The Nuggets faced the top-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round. In Anthony's first career playoff game, he had 19 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists, in a 106-92 loss at Minnesota.[12] Anthony and the rest of his team were eliminated by the Timberwolves in five games.

[edit] 2004-2005 season

In Anthony's second season, he started in 75 of the 82 games for the Denver Nuggets. He averaged 20.8 ppg, which ranked him 19th in the NBA. Anthony placed 16th in the NBA for points per 48 minutes. On December 4, 2004, versus the Miami Heat, Anthony became the third-youngest player in NBA history to reach 2,000 career points.[13] Only James and Bryant were younger when they reached that plateau. Anthony played again in the Got Milk? Rookie Challenge, this time suiting up for the sophomore squad. In front of his home fans of Denver (who were hosting the 2005 All-Star Game), Anthony scored a game-high 31 points to go along with 5 boards, 2 assists and 2 steals, en route to becoming the MVP of the game.

With Anthony's help, the Nuggets improved their season record by six games from the previous season, ending with a mark of 49-33. The Nuggets finished seventh place in the Western Conference (one spot higher than they finished the previous season). Denver faced the second-seeded San Antonio Spurs in the first round, winning the first game in San Antonio, 93-87.[14] However, the Spurs won the next four games, eliminating the Nuggets from the playoffs.

[edit] 2005-2006 season

Anthony played and started in 80 games during the season. He averaged 26.5 ppg (8th, NBA), 2.7 apg, 4.9 rpg and 1.1 spg. His eighth place finish in NBA scoring was the highest finish by a Denver player since the 1990-91 season, when Nuggets guard Michael Adams finished the season sixth in NBA scoring.

On November 23, 2005, with the Nuggets facing the two-time defending Eastern Conference Champion Detroit Pistons, Anthony hauled down his 1,000th career rebound.

On December 27, 2005, Anthony recorded a career-high 45 points in a losing effort against the Philadelphia 76ers.

On March 17, 2006, versus the Memphis Grizzlies, Anthony scored 33 points to push his career point total over the 5,000 mark.[15] Also, in doing so, he became the second youngest player to accomplish that feat (behind James). As the month of March came to a close, the Nuggets finished 11-5, and Anthony was named as the NBA Player of the Month for March. He also took home Player of the Week honors for March 13-March 19, 2006.

During the season, Anthony made five game-winning shots in the last five seconds: at Houston on January 8, 2006; at home versus Phoenix on January 10, 2006; at Minnesota on February 24, 2006; at Indiana on March 15, 2006; at home versus the Los Angeles Lakers on April 6, 2006. All five of those game-winners were made on jump shots, while the shot against Minnesota was a three-point field goal. Anthony also made a shot in the final seconds to force overtime vs. the Dallas Mavericks on January 6, 2006. He made shots in the final 22 seconds against the Cleveland Cavaliers on January 18, 2006, and the Philadelphia 76ers on March 9, 2006, which gave the Nuggets leads they would never lose.

Anthony was named to the All-NBA Third Team for the season, alongside Phoenix' Shawn Marion, Houston's Yao Ming, Philadelphia's Allen Iverson and Washington's Gilbert Arenas.

The Nuggets finished the season in third place, winning the Northwest Division for the first time in Anthony's career. Denver faced the sixth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the playoffs. The Clippers held home court advantage in the series, due to ending the regular season with a better record (Denver finished 44-38; Los Angeles finished 47-35). The Clippers won the first two games of the series on their home floor. The Nuggets split their games at home in Denver (winning game three; losing game four). Denver then lost game five at Los Angeles, which eliminated the Nuggets from the playoffs.

Anthony led the Nuggets in the post-season each of his first three seasons. However, the team didn't get past the first round of the playoffs, losing each time to the Timberwolves, Spurs and the Clippers. He appeared in 14 playoff games during that stretch, with averages of 18.6 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.5 apg and 0.9 spg.

[edit] 2006-2007 season

In the eighth game of the season (a 117-109 home win against the Toronto Raptors), Anthony tied the franchise record of six-straight 30-point games recorded by Alex English (1982-83 season).[16] He fell short of establishing a new record in his ninth game (a 113-109 home victory over the Chicago Bulls on November 21, 2006), as he finished with 29 points.[17] After the Chicago victory, Anthony again tied the club record of six-straight 30-point games, failing to break it the second time around, as he scored 24 points in his 16th game (a 98-96 home loss to the Atlanta Hawks) on December 6, 2006).[18]

On December 16, 2006, Anthony was one of many players involved in the infamous Knicks-Nuggets brawl during a game at Madison Square Garden.[19] Footage showed Anthony laying a punch on the face of New York's Mardy Collins and then backing up to mid-court. As a result of his actions, Anthony was suspended for 15 games by NBA commissioner David Stern.[20] Shortly thereafter, the Nuggets traded for Allen Iverson in a bid to form a deadly combination with Anthony. The duo didn't get to play alongside one another until a home game against the Memphis Grizzlies on January 22, 2007, which was the day Anthony was allowed to return from his 15-game suspension.[21] Anthony finished the game with 28 points, as he and Iverson combined for 51 points.

When the reserves for the Western Conference All-Star team were announced, Anthony was left off of the roster.[22] However, with Yao Ming and Carlos Boozer out with injuries, NBA commissioner David Stern chose Anthony as a replacement (along with Josh Howard).[23] Anthony scored 20 points with 9 rebounds in his All-Star debut.

On February 2, 2007, Anthony and fellow teammate J.R. Smith, were involved in a minor car accident.[24] Neither player was injured in the collision. The only information released by the team was that the car Smith was driving belonged to Anthony.

On February 5, 2007, Anthony recorded his first ever NBA triple-double, with 31 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, in a 113-108 loss to the Phoenix Suns.[25]

Anthony won Player of the Week honors three times during the season (November 20-November 26, 2006; November 27–December 3, 2006; and February 5-February 11, 2007). Anthony also took home Player of the Month honors for April 2007, after leading the Nuggets to a 10-1 record for the month and into sixth place in the final regular season standings of the Western Conference. Anthony finished the season as the league's second leading scorer behind Bryant, with an average of 28.9 ppg, while adding 6.0 rpg, 3.8 apg and 1.2 spg.

Anthony was named to All-NBA Third Team for the second straight year, along with Miami's Dwyane Wade, Detroit's Chauncy Billups, Minnesota's Kevin Garnett and Orlando's Dwight Howard.

For the second time in three years, Anthony and the sixth-seeded Nuggets faced the third-seeded San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs. In a virtual repeat of the 2005 first round playoff matchup between the two teams, Denver won the first game in San Antonio, 95-89, only to lose the next four games. The Nuggets were eliminated in the first round for the fourth straight year. In the playoff series against the Spurs, Anthony averaged a team-high 26.8 ppg to go along with 8.6 rpg, 1.2 apg and 1.0 spg.

[edit] Controversies

Since entering the NBA, Anthony has been the subject of numerous controversies. In 2004, Anthony was cited for marijuana possession, after inspectors at Denver International Airport found marijuana in his backpack.[26] Charges were later dropped after Anthony’s friend, James Cunningham, of St. Louis, signed an affidavit taking responsibility for the marijuana. In 2006, Anthony’s friend, Tyler Brandon Smith, was pulled over in Anthony’s 2005 Dodge Magnum and cited for marijuana possession and three traffic violations.[27]

In 2004, Anthony appeared in a video entitled, Stop Snitchin', which warned that residents of Baltimore who collaborated with the police would face violence. Anthony later distanced himself from this video.[28]

In 2006, Anthony was involved in the infamous Knicks-Nuggets brawl during a game at Madison Square Garden.

Anderson, Derek

Derek Matthew Anderson (born June 15, 1983 in Scappoose, Oregon) is an American football quarterback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oregon State.
Contents
[hide]

* 1 High school
* 2 Collegiate career
* 3 Professional career
* 4 Anderson's NFL statistics
* 5 References
* 6 External links

[edit] High school

Anderson grew up in Scappoose, Oregon, and led the Scappoose Indians to one of their record three consecutive state football championships in Class 3A football. He also excelled at basketball in high school and was named state player of the year in both football and basketball his senior year. He went to school and was childhood friends with Sara Jean Underwood.[1]

Anderson has received some notoriety for his large feet as he wore size 17 shoes by the time he reached 10 years old. His parents had to special-order the shoes from Arvydas Sabonis of the Portland Trail Blazers.[2]

[edit] Collegiate career

Raised in a small Northwest Oregon town, Anderson was a Beaver fan growing up and always wanted to play for Oregon State. His decision to play for the school was celebrated by fans who envisioned he would rapidly develop and become a dominant quarterback in college.

At 6'6" Anderson was not the prototypical quarterback. In fact, many believed he would play basketball in college instead of football. Still, he was recruited nationwide and his dominating performance as a quarterback in high school helped in his decision stay with football.

At the start of his sophomore year (2002), Anderson was thrust into the starting role as QB and handed the reins of a rapidly improving program. Unfortunately, his early performances showed inexperience and poor passing. This lead to an early streak of losses for the team. Fortunately, the team's lack of competition for the quarterback spot that year made him a lock for the starting position.

His early entry into the starting role came on the heels of Oregon State's most successful period to date. Capped by a Fiesta Bowl win over Notre Dame, the team went 11-1 in 2000 and ranked 4th in the nation under head coach Dennis Erickson. Expectations were exceptionally high by 2002 and the monumental task ahead would have been daunting for any young quarterback.

Despite these challenges, Anderson helped the Beavers record an 8-5 season. His work was also good enough to give the Beavers entry into the 2002 Insight Bowl. However, the young team was no match for a then well-seasoned University of Pittsburgh. The Beavers lost 38-13 and coach Erickson left for a National Football League head coaching position with the San Francisco 49ers.

The pressures on the entire team to keep the program headed in a winning direction were only compounded by the sudden change in head coaching. The return of previous head coach Mike Riley from the NFL meant learning an entirely new system. With help from teammate and star running back Steven Jackson, Anderson again rose to the occasion and played a leading role in propelling the team to an 8-5 record, this time ending the 2003 season on a 55-14 Las Vegas Bowl win over a then up-and-coming New Mexico program.

Locally, Anderson was known as "The Big Scappoose" for his stature and hometown. However, his vastly improving abilities were garnering respect from throughout the conference and many opponents viewed him as an improving QB with an unbelievably strong arm. During his junior year he showed he could throw the ball down-field exceeding far and accurately hit receivers in motion. Still, his game had issues. He continued to make some bad decisions under pressure and was viewed by critics as a habitual "pocket passer," which gave rushing defenses an easy target.

By the 2004 season, Anderson successfully integrated footwork into his repertoire and surprised many defenses with his new found ability to escape the tackle and even run the ball for touchdowns. Although the team's 7-5 performance was nothing to mark down in the history books, Anderson became nationally recognized as a very dangerous offensive weapon who could strike long gains at will. Plus, he was now a legitimate running threat at quarterback. The Beavers also went without Steven Jackson through the 2004 season (Jackson was drafted into the NFL at the end of the 2003 season). Even without the star running back, Anderson willed his team back into the Insight Bowl where they again faced Notre Dame (led by current Browns teammate Brady Quinn). The Beavers never trailed in the game and easily defeated the Irish 38-21. Anderson unleashed 359 yards and four touchdown passes, with no interceptions. It was probably his most stunning college performance and showcased his newfound skill as a true field general.

Anderson is the second player in Pac-10 history to throw for over 4,000 yards in a single season, setting an Oregon State Beavers football record at 4,058 yards in the 2003 season. He also ranks second in the Pac-10 for career touchdown passes, at 79 (also an Oregon State record). He is the 6th person to ever throw for 10,000 yards in a career in the Pac-10, and holds the Oregon State record for career passing yards at 11,249.

[edit] Professional career

Anderson was selected out of Oregon State University by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL Draft (213th overall), but never played for them and was waived on 20 September 2005. The next day he signed with the Cleveland Browns, for whom he currently plays.

Anderson served as Charlie Frye's backup for the Cleveland Browns in the 2006 season. He made his first appearance in an NFL regular season game against the Denver Broncos at Browns Stadium, 22 October 2006, taking one snap after Frye was briefly shaken up.

His second NFL appearance was more noteworthy. After Frye injured his wrist during the first half of Cleveland's 3 December game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Anderson played the entire second half. He threw his first two NFL touchdown passes in that game, connecting with tight end Steve Heiden twice in the fourth quarter. Anderson also scrambled for 33 yards in overtime, moving the ball from the Kansas City 45-yard line to the 12-yard line, after which the Browns were in field goal range. Anderson's play was instrumental in leading the Browns back from a 28-14 deficit to a 31-28 overtime victory.

Although some reports said he outplayed incumbent starter Charlie Frye and rookie Brady Quinn in minicamp, Anderson was not as productive in the pre-season games and Frye was named the starter. Crennell earlier said that the two were so close in effectiveness that he would use coin-toss to decide between the two quarterbacks.

Anderson took over for Frye in the 2007 opener after Frye was extremely ineffective in the first quarter. The game was Frye's last game in a Browns uniform, as he was traded to the Seattle Seahawks for a sixth round draft pick two days later.

Named the starting quarterback by Browns Head Coach Romeo Crennel for Week 2, Anderson threw for 328 yards and five touchdowns. His passer rating for the game was 121.0 as the Browns defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 51-45, solidifying Anderson's role. In the game Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer also threw for six touchdown passes. It was only the third time in NFL history hat two quarterbacks had thrown at least five touchdown passes in the same game. [3]

On September 30, he beat the team that drafted him, the Baltimore Ravens, for the first time. He threw for two touchdowns and 204 yards, completing 10 of 18 pass attempts with just one interception.

Anderson, through fifteen games of the 2007 season, has led the Browns to an astounding 9-6 overall record, 9-5 in games in which he started. With 28 touchdowns and 18 interceptions for the season, and following a 24-18 win over the New York Jets, Anderson has turned the Browns into one of the more explosive offenses in the league with serious playoff hopes.

On 2007-12-18, Anderson was named as a first alternate for the 2008 Pro Bowl at quarterback.[4]

Louis Amundson

Louis Gabriel Amundson (born December 7, 1982 in Ventura, California) is an American professional basketball player, currently playing for the Philadelphia 76ers. He has played in the NBA and the NBA D-League.

Accomplishments

* Played 25 games with the Colorado 14ers of the D-League in 2006-07, averaging 11.1 points (56.3% FGs), 7.6 rebounds and 2.48 blocks in 25.0 minutes per game.

* Was named All-NBA D-League First Team for the 2006-07 season while also picking up Rookie of the Year honors.

* At Detroit on 4/15/07, recorded career-highs of 8 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks in 23 minutes of play.

* Led all NBA rookies in blocks per 48 minutes played (4.32) in 2006-07 and ranked sixth among all players league-wide.

* Graduated cum laude from UNLV in May of 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in university studies with areas of study in English and philosophy.

* Was the first player in Mountain West Conference history to record multiple career games with 20+ points and 20+ rebounds.

* As a senior, earned Second Team All-Mountain West Conference honors.

Alston, Rafer

Rafer Jamel Alston, also known as Skip To My Lou or Skip 2 My Lou (born July 24, 1976 in Queens, New York City), is an American professional basketball player currently with the NBA's Houston Rockets.
Contents
[hide]

* 1 Streetball legend
* 2 NBA career
* 3 Legal troubles
* 4 Career transactions
* 5 References
* 6 External links

[edit] Streetball legend

Alston grew up in Jamaica, Queens as a street basketball legend and has received most of his recognition for that aspect of his career. In high school at Benjamin N. Cardozo High School he played in only 10 games his last two years but managed to score 319 points.[1] He first came into the public spotlight for his starring in the And1 Mixtape Volume 1. In this mixtape, it had him performing his legendary dribbling moves on future NBA star Stephon Marbury. Alston was drafted after his junior year by the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round, 39th pick overall, of the 1998 NBA Draft.

His nickname Skip To My Lou stemmed from his tendency to skip while dribbling the ball upcourt. He played in several prominent streetball tournaments including the Entertainer's Basketball Classic, the North American street basketball tour, the AND1 Mixtape Tour, and the ESPN TV show, Street Ball. It is said that, during a streetball tournament at the legendary Rucker Park in Harlem, Alston once performed what most would regard as an impossible move: during a fastbreak, he supposedly glided in the paint for a layup attempt but made a change of plans in the air as he rolled the ball down his right arm, across his shoulder and down his left arm to a trailing player for a finishing dunk.[2] Since 2006, Alston has served as the spokesperson for the Houston Rockets Blacktop Battle -- a popular 3-on-3 tournament held every spring in Houston.[3]

[edit] NBA career

Despite his cult following from the streetball circuit, Alston decided to make the transition to the professional game. After sitting on the bench for most of the time he was with the Milwaukee Bucks, he emerged as a starter for the Miami Heat in 2004. He did not disappoint, averaging 12 points and 4 assists on a young Miami team that made it to the first round of the playoffs. During that season, in a March 26th game against the Dallas Mavericks, he hit a game-winning shot in overtime with 0.5 seconds left over the outstretched arms of Shawn Bradley to catapult Miami to a 119-118 victory. He signed with the Toronto Raptors during the summer of 2004.

Following a tumultuous tenure with the Toronto Raptors, Alston was traded to the Houston Rockets for guard Mike James on October 4, 2005. Although Alston frequently was criticized for his attitude while in Toronto, it is believed that Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy conferred with his brother, Miami Heat coach Stan Van Gundy, who coached Alston during the 2003-2004 NBA season, about Alston's work ethic and attitude. Jeff Van Gundy's reputation for toughness and his ability to get the most out of players previously considered "trouble-makers" or "temperamental" (e.g., Latrell Sprewell) has led to optimism on the part of the Rockets' staff [2]. In the 2006-2007 season, as the Rockets starting point guard, Alston averaged 13.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He finished the season ninth in in steals among all NBA players, fourth in three pointers made, and 20th in assists. He also had the worst field goal percentage in the NBA among qualified players at 37.6%.

[edit] Legal troubles

On Sunday morning, August 5, 2007, Alston was arrested in downtown Houston on misdemeanor charges of assault and public intoxication.[4] He was arrested again in the early hours of Tuesday, August 28 in New York on charges of allegedly slashing a man on the neck during a nightclub altercation.[5] Neither the club owner, police, nor security tapes have provided any evidence of the incident occurring.[6]

Morris Almond

Morris Almond (born February 2, 1985 in Dalton, Georgia) is an American basketball player with the NBA's Utah Jazz. He was selected 25th overall in the 2007 NBA Draft after graduating from Rice University.

Almond attended McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Georgia and was a teammate of current Atlanta Hawks player Josh Smith.

Almond improved his points per game scoring average from 7.2 to 21.9 during from his sophomore to junior seasons. He led all Conference USA players in scoring that year.

During his senior year, he improved his scoring average further to 26.4, ranking third in the nation. He was named Conference USA Player of the Year and was named AP All-America Honorable Mention.

Almond finished his career at Rice with 121 games played and a scoring average of 15.1 ppg.

Allen, Tony

Anthony Allen (born January 11, 1982 in Chicago, Illinois), commonly referred to as Tony Allen, is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics in the NBA. A swingman, he can play as a guard or forward.[3]
Contents
[hide]

* 1 Early career
* 2 NBA career
o 2.1 Shooting incident
o 2.2 2006-07 injury
* 3 Personal
* 4 Notes
* 5 External links

[edit] Early career

Allen played competitively at Chicago's Crane High School, where he was a basketball standout. At Crane Allen played alongside future Celtics prospect Will Bynum.[4] A 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m), 213 lb (97 kg) shooting guard, Allen spent his freshman year (2000-01) playing for Butler County College in El Dorado, Kansas, where he averaged 16.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.8 steals, going on to being named Jayhawk West Conference Freshman of the Year.[5] During his sophomore year (2001-02) at Wabash Valley College in Mount Carmel, Illinois, he led his team to 32-6 overall record and fourth place at the NJCAA championships.[5] For his final two college seasons (2002-2004), Allen transferred to Oklahoma State University (OSU), where he was named the national junior-college transfer of the year by collegeinsider.com,[4] and cited by college basketball commentator Dick Vitale as one of the top three junior college transfers during his junior season.[4] He was named the Big 12 Player of the Year his senior year, after averaging 16 points per game and leading the Cowboys to the Final Four. Allen became the first player in OSU history to score 1,000 career points in just two seasons.[5] He graduated Oklahoma State with a degree in education. After graduating, he declared himself ready for the 2004 NBA Draft.

[edit] NBA career

Allen was selected by the Boston Celtics with the 25th overall pick of the 2004 NBA Draft. In his rookie season in 2004-05 he averaged 6.4 points and 2.9 rebounds per game, and ranked 3rd in the league in steals per 48 minutes, with 2.89. He was selected to play for the rookies in the Got Milk? Rookie Challenge during All-Star Weekend, along with fellow Celtics rookie Al Jefferson.

[edit] Shooting incident

Allen's successful rookie season was marred during the 2005 off-season, when he was charged with aggravated battery stemming from an altercation that escalated into the non-fatal shooting of a 29-year-old man outside a restaurant in Chicago in August 2005. Although he was not a suspect in the shooting, Allen was accused of breaking another man's left eye socket.[6] He spent two nights in jail, but was not implicated in the shooting. Due to this incident and a rather severe right knee injury that Allen had suffered prior to the shooting, Allen missed much of the first half of the 2005-06 season. On April 24, 2007, the charges against Allen were dropped in a Chicago court.[6]

[edit] 2006-07 injury

On January 10, 2007, in the final minutes of a Celtics loss to the Indiana Pacers, during the 2006-07 season, Allen suffered a debilitating knee injury as he landed awkwardly after an uncontested slam dunk attempt after the whistle was blown,[7] tearing both the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL).[8] Allen underwent a successful ACL reconstructive surgery on January 13 at New England Baptist Hospital[9] and was sidelined for the rest of the season.[7] He was averaging 11.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.48 steals in 33 games.[10] He made a fast return to the court for his type of knee injury only nine months later during the following preseason, even though not at full strength.[11] However, the explosiveness he displayed prior to the injury was noted as "sorely lacking".[11]

[edit] Personal

In his spare time, Tony Allen enjoys listening to music,[5] and is considered somewhat of a music "connoisseur" by his Celtic teammates. He also frequently assists the Celtics in charity work in and around the Boston area. Allen was born to Ella Allen, and he has two sisters, Ebony and Dominique, and a brother, Ryan.[4][5]

Allen, Ray

Walter Ray Allen (born July 20, 1975 in Merced, California), commonly referred to as Ray Allen, is an American professional basketball player for the NBA's Boston Celtics, for whom he plays shooting guard. He has also played for the Milwaukee Bucks and Seattle SuperSonics. Allen is known as one of the best pure shooters in the history of the NBA, especially from three-point range.
Contents
[hide]

* 1 Personal life
* 2 College career
* 3 NBA career
* 4 Awards/honors
* 5 Notes
* 6 External links

[edit] Personal life

Allen was born in Merced, California. He played high school basketball at Hillcrest High School in Dalzell, South Carolina taking them to a state championship.[2] His dad was in the Air Force so he had to move constantly while growing up. He excelled in soccer and baseball and is the third of five kids. He chose to play professional basketball and has become a great shooter with a very quick shooting release.[3]

Allen is a 12 handicap golfer. He also bowls, and averages over 150.[4] During Milwaukee's 2001 playoff series with the Hornets, Allen painted his toenails green and purple for good luck.[4] He is often referred to as "Jesus Shuttlesworth", the name of his character in the movie He Got Game. The name also refers to Sheldon Strickland.

[edit] College career

Allen was a highly successful college basketball player at the University of Connecticut from 1993–96. He earned All-American status during the 1994-95 season and was also named USA Basketball's Male Athlete of the Year for 1995. In his next and final college season, Allen was named first-team All-America and received the Big East Player of the Year award. Allen finished his career at UConn third on the Huskies' career scoring list with 1,922 points. He also set a school single-season record by connecting on 115 three-pointers in 1995-96.

[edit] NBA career

Drafted out of the University of Connecticut by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the fifth pick of the 1996 NBA Draft, Allen was shipped, along with a future first-round draft pick, to the Milwaukee Bucks for the rights to fourth pick Stephon Marbury. Named to the NBA's All-Rookie 1st Team in 1997, Allen evolved into an elite player, averaging at least 20 points per game in each of the last seven seasons.

He is regarded as one of the best shooters in NBA history, having made nearly 40% of his three-point attempts and almost 90% of his free throw attempts. In 2001, he won the NBA All-Star Weekend three-point contest. He also had an acting role in the critically acclaimed film He Got Game, in which he starred alongside Denzel Washington as a high school basketball phenom Jesus Shuttlesworth.[5]

Allen played with the Bucks for the first 6½ years of his career until 47 games into the 2002-03 season, when he, along with guards Kevin Ollie (a fellow UConn alumn), Ronald Murray and a conditional first-round draft pick, was dealt to the Sonics for Gary Payton and Desmond Mason. The move to Seattle did not hurt Allen's game; he bounced back from an injury-riddled 2004 to be voted to the All-NBA Second Team in 2005. Allen re-signed with the Sonics in 2005 for a 5-year contract worth $80 million, with $5 million more in performance bonuses. In the 2005-06 regular season, he averaged a career-high 25.1 points per game while adding 4.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.

On March 12, 2006, Allen became the 97th player in NBA history to score 15,000 points. On April 7, 2006, Allen moved into second place on the NBA's list of all-time three-point field goals made in a game against the Portland Trail Blazers, behind only legendary marksman Reggie Miller. On April 19, 2006, against the Denver Nuggets, Allen broke Dennis Scott's ten-year-old NBA record for three-point field goals in a season by sinking his 268th. At the end of the game, Allen received a standing ovation from the home crowd.

On January 12, 2007, Allen scored a career-high 54 points against the Utah Jazz in a 122-114 overtime win, the second most in Sonics history. Fred Brown scored 58 points for Seattle in 1974.[6] Allen, who has missed games during the 2006-07 season due to ankle soreness, has had ankle surgery and missed the rest of the season.

On February 5, 2007, his number was retired at Gampel Pavilion on the University of Connecticut Storrs campus during halftime of the men's basketball game against the Syracuse Orangemen as part of the "Huskies of Honor" ceremony which recognized the accomplishments of 13 former players and three former coaches.[7]

On June 28, 2007, Allen was traded to the Boston Celtics along with Seattle's second-round pick Glen Davis (#35 overall pick) for Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak, and the number 5 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft (Jeff Green).

On November 4, 2007, Allen scored his 17,000th career point in a 98-95 victory over the Toronto Raptors including a tiebreaking three-pointer with 3 seconds remaining in overtime en route to a game-high 33 points.[8]

He was the subject of the article "Pro Athlete Lauded For Being Decent Human Being" in the satirical newspaper The Onion.[9]

Allen is a member of the famous Air Jordan brand, which is a subsidiary of Nike. The shoe label is headed by Michael Jordan and features prominent athletes from several different sports.

Allen, Malik

Malik Omar Allen (born June 27, 1978 in Willingboro, New Jersey) is an American professional basketball player who plays for the New Jersey Nets of the NBA.

After four years at Villanova University Allen went undrafted in the 2000 NBA Draft. He began his career in the ABA with the San Diego WildFire and in the International Basketball League with Trenton in 2000-01 season. On July 20th 2001 he was signed by the Miami Heat of the NBA. He stayed with the Heat until he was traded on February 24th 2005 to the Charlotte Bobcats. The Chicago Bulls signed him to a two-year deal on September 2nd 2005. Over two seasons with the Bulls Allen played in 114 regular season games making 21 starts and averaged 4.5 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. On September 10th 2007 the New Jersey Nets signed Allen to a one-year contract worth $964,636 (US$).[1][2]

Allen appeared in 21 NBA Playoff games. He started all six playoff games for Chicago during '06 playoffs.[3]

[edit] Notes

Aldridge, LaMarcus

LaMarcus Nurae Aldridge (born July 19, 1985, in Dallas, Texas) is an American professional basketball player with the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers. He is a 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) power forward.
Contents
[hide]

* 1 Playing career
o 1.1 NBA Draft
o 1.2 Rookie season
* 2 NBA career statistics
o 2.1 Career highs
* 3 Notes
* 4 External links

[edit] Playing career

Aldridge attended Seagoville High School, where he became a Parade All-American and Texas Association of Basketball Coaches (TABC) Class 4A Player of the Year prior to graduating in 2004 and attending the University of Texas at Austin.[1] According to one report, Aldridge's initial decision to attend college rather than entering the pro ranks directly from high school was influenced by Shaquille O'Neal's personal advice that he should go to college and then evaluate his NBA prospects.[2] However, in April 2006, near the end of his second year at UT, Aldridge announced that he would leave college to enter the 2006 NBA Draft.[3]

[edit] NBA Draft

Aldridge was drafted 2nd overall in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls, only to have his draft rights traded to the Portland Trail Blazers for their pick, Tyrus Thomas, shortly after. The Bulls acquired the pick from the New York Knicks in the 2005 Eddy Curry trade.

[edit] Rookie season

Aldridge missed the first seven games of the 2006-07 NBA season due to off-season shoulder surgery, but returned ahead of schedule due in part to an injury to fellow rookie teammate Brandon Roy. Aldridge made an immediate impact on offense, averaging 8.4 points on 54% shooting from the field through his first 14 games. After the loss of starting center Joel Przybilla in February of 2007 to season-ending knee surgery, Aldridge was awarded the starting center position and improved his scoring to 14.7 points alongside 8.0 rebounds per game in the month of March. This placed him second in the voting for the Western Conference Rookie of the Month to Roy. On March 31, 2007, in the first quarter against the Los Angeles Clippers, Aldridge was taken to Providence Hospital in Portland for shortness of breath and irregular heartbeat. He was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome on April 9, 2007, and missed the remaining eight games of the 2006-07 season. He is expected to make a full recovery.[4]

Aldridge was one of six players named to the 2007 NBA All-Rookie first team; he tied for fifth place along with Toronto Raptors player Jorge Garbajosa.[

Maurice Ager

Maurice Darnell Ager (born February 9, 1984, in Detroit, Michigan) is an American professional basketball player who plays the shooting guard position for the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA. Ager played for the Fort Worth Flyers of the NBA Development League but was later recalled. [1] He was assigned to the team by the NBA's Dallas Mavericks after playing 15 games for them in the 2006-07 season, averaging 1.5 points in 4.3 minutes per game.[2] He played collegiately for the Michigan State Spartans from 2002 until 2006. The 6' 5" guard was best known for his athleticism and pure shooting.
Contents
[hide]

* 1 2005 Tournament
* 2 Senior year
o 2.1 2005 Maui Invitational Tournament
* 3 Professional career
* 4 Notes
* 5 External links

[edit] 2005 Tournament

In 2005, Ager was the top scorer for Michigan State, who reached the Final Four by defeating the Kentucky Wildcats in a classic double-overtime game in the Elite Eight. He was named to the Austin All-Regional team after averaging 16.8 points and 5 rebounds a game. Ager scored 24 points against North Carolina in the Final Four, but the Spartans lost to the eventual champions.

[edit] Senior year

Even though Ager averaged a team-high 19.3 points a game, the Spartans did not live up to the expectations analysts gave them. Once ranked #5 in the country, they received a #6 seed in the NCAA Tournament, where they fell to George Mason in the first round. (George Mason went on to the Final Four.)

[edit] 2005 Maui Invitational Tournament

On November 22, 2005 at the Maui Invitational Tournament, Ager faced off against Gonzaga's Adam Morrison in one of the most thrilling battles of the year. Down by three with virtually no time remaining on the clock, Ager sank a three-point shot at the buzzer to send the game into overtime. Despite Ager's team-high 36 points, Gonzaga knocked off the Spartans in triple overtime 109-106. The next day Ager led the Spartans with 20 points to defeat Arizona 74-71 in overtime.

[edit] Professional career

On June 28, 2006, Ager was selected by the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Draft with the 28th overall pick. He played his first game in a Mavs uniform on July 1, 2006, for the Mavericks Summer League Team against the Nigerian national team. He led the Mavs with 23 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and a steal. His 23 points included a huge three-pointer with 2:15 to go to put the Mavs up by 1 and ahead for the rest of the way. The Mavs won 89-85.

On July 6, 2006 the Mavericks Summer League Team played their first game of the Toshiba Vegas Summer League, in which they fared extremely poorly against the Denver Nuggets Summer League Team, losing 85-113. Ager again led the way for the Mavs though, putting up a respectable team-high 17 points. On July 8, 2006, the Mavs faced off against the Boston Celtics Summer League Team, losing once again, 91-85. Ager led the team once again with 23 points and 2 assists. Despite a dislocated index finger, Ager continued to consistently lead the Mavericks through the end of the Toshiba Vegas Summer League and was named to First Team All-TVSL.

[edit] Notes

Arron Afflalo

Arron Agustin Afflalo (born October 15, 1985) is an American professional basketball player, currently with the Detroit Pistons. He recently completed a three-year career at University of California, Los Angeles in the Pacific Ten Conference of the NCAA as the starting shooting guard for the UCLA men's basketball team. On June 28, 2007, Afflalo was drafted with the 27th overall pick in the NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons.
Contents
[hide]

* 1 Biography
* 2 College career
* 3 NCAA Tournament
* 4 Awards and recognition
* 5 References
* 6 External links

[edit] Biography

Afflalo was born at the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, only a few minutes walk from Pauley Pavilion, where the UCLA Bruins play their home games. His parents are Benjamin Afflalo and Gwendolyn Washington. He has a younger sister named Paris. He has ancestors of Jamaican, Portuguese, and Spanish backgrounds. Arron majors in sociology at UCLA and was on the Athletic Director's Honor Roll for Spring 2005.[1] Afflalo declared for the 2006 NBA Draft, but pulled his name out before the deadline, opting to return to UCLA for his junior season.[2] Afflalo has been one of the top players in the country as a junior earning a spot on the Associated Press All-America team. This honor makes Afflalo UCLA's first consensus All-American since Ed O'Bannon in the 1994-95 season. He was drafted by the Detroit Pistons in the 1st round of the 2007 NBA Draft, making him the 27th pick overall.

[edit] College career

Noted for being the first player recruited by current UCLA coach Ben Howland[3] to play for Howland at UCLA, Afflalo, who helped lead Compton Centennial High School to a California Division-III 2nd place finish(losing to RiordanSan Francisco) in 2003-2004, his senior year of high school, started 29 games the next season for the UCLA Bruins as a freshman, averaging 10.8 points per game and playing the role of a defensive stopper.

With the graduation of leading scorer Dijon Thompson, Afflalo shouldered more of the offensive load in his second year on the team, averaging a team-high 15.8 points per game. He also continued to guard some of the Bruins' opponents' top scorers.

His defensive dominance throughout the 2006-2007 season (one example being holding Cal's Ayinde Ubaka to zero points in one of the two teams' matchups), and his 17.4 ppg led to him being voted the Pac-10 Player of the Year by the other coaches in the conference. Commenting on the award, Afflalo said, "It is good that contributions on both ends of the floor are recognized ... If you truly have a love and passion for the game, then you should work at every aspect of it, not just the part that gives you (attention), that being scoring."[4]

[edit] NCAA Tournament

In a 2006 NCAA tournament game against Alabama, Afflalo hit the game-winning three-point shot and also defended Alabama point guard Ronald Steele on his errant three-point attempt which would have given Alabama the lead.

In the Bruins 2006 Sweet Sixteen comeback victory over Gonzaga, Afflalo and teammate Ryan Hollins, in what was later widely hailed as a classy move, helped the distraught Gonzaga star Adam Morrison off the court after the final buzzer sounded.[5] Against Memphis in the Elite Eight, Afflalo was noted by many to be largely responsible for stopping Rodney Carney and helping UCLA advance to the Final Four.

In the 2007 NCAA Tournament he was named the West Regional's Most Outstanding Player after scoring 24 points and making several big plays in a 68-55 victory over the Kansas Jayhawks. However, his quick foul trouble against the Florida Gators cost his team the ability to successfully compete and the Bruins ended up bowing out of the tournament.

[edit] Awards and recognition

* CIF Southern Section III-A Player of the Year: 2002-2003, 2003-2004
* All-Pac-10 Freshman First Team: 2004-2005
* All-Pac-10 First Team: 2005-2006, 2006-2007
* Pac-10 Player of the Year: 2006-2007
* Pre-season All-American: 2006-07
* ESPN First Team All-American: 2006-2007
* National Association of Basketball Coaches First Team All-American: 2006-2007
* Sporting News First Team All-American: 2006-2007
* Sports Illustrated First Team All-American: 2006-2007
* Dick Vitale First Team All-American: 2006-2007
* USBWA District IX Player of the Year: 2006-2007
* Associated Press First Team All-American: 2006-2007

Shareef Abdur-Rahim

Julius Shareef Abdur-Rahim (born December 11, 1976 in Marietta, Georgia) is an American professional basketball player. He plays for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). On the basketball court, he can play both forward or center positions. Abdur-Rahim was a standout player during his high school days. He left college after one year to enter the 1996 NBA Draft.

In his early NBA career, Abdur-Rahim was the star of the Vancouver Grizzlies franchise for five seasons. He was traded by the Grizzlies in 2001 and then played for the Atlanta Hawks and Portland Trailblazers before joining his current team, the Sacramento Kings. Nicknamed "Reef",[1] Abdur-Rahim was named an NBA All-Star in the 2001–02 season. He also played on the United States men's national basketball team that won the gold medal at the 2000 Olympics. Prior to joining the Kings, despite the fact that he played with solid statistics throughout his career, Abdur-Rahim held the NBA record for most number of games played without making a playoff appearance.
Contents
[hide]

* 1 Early life
* 2 NBA career
o 2.1 Vancouver Grizzlies
o 2.2 Atlanta Hawks
o 2.3 Portland Trail Blazers
o 2.4 Sacramento Kings
* 3 International career
* 4 Off the court
* 5 NBA career statistics
* 6 Notes
* 7 External links

[edit] Early life

Shareef Abdur-Rahim is the second eldest sibling in a family of 12 children born to Aminah and William Abdur-Rahim.[1] Abdur-Rahim, whose first name means "noble" and whose last name means "servant of the most merciful one,"[2] is a devout Muslim. He values his parents for their guiding influence on him since his youth and credits them with his life philosophy: "remember how you came on all your accomplishments and stay humble."[1] From an early age, Abdur-Rahim was surrounded by family members who played basketball; his brother, Muhammad, played at the University of Detroit while his younger brother, Amir, played at Southeastern Louisiana University.[3] Abdur-Rahim himself started playing competitive basketball at Joseph Wheeler High School in Marietta, Georgia. At Wheeler, he was named "Mr. Basketball" in back-to-back seasons, and he led the school to a state title as a junior in 1994.

Abdur-Rahim later attended college at the University of California, Berkeley, where he maintained a GPA of 3.5.[1] At California, he averaged 21.1 points per game (ppg) and 8.4 rebounds per game (rpg) in 28 games.[1] He was the first freshman in Pac-10 history to win Conference Player of the Year honors, and was named Third Team All-America by the Associated Press.[1] Abdur-Rahim also set single-season freshman records for points, scoring average, field goals, and free throws.[1] After a year at California however, he decided to leave college to enter the 1996 NBA Draft.[1]

[edit] NBA career

[edit] Vancouver Grizzlies

Abdur-Rahim was selected third overall by the Vancouver Grizzlies in the 1996 Draft,[4] behind Allen Iverson and Marcus Camby. He made an immediate impact playing for the Grizzlies. Abdur-Rahim became the team's leading scorer while setting a franchise record of 18.7 ppg. He averaged 6.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 35 minutes per game. He finished third in balloting for the Schick NBA Rookie of the Year behind Philadelphia's Allen Iverson and Minnesota's Stephon Marbury, and he was picked for the All-Rookie First Team.[1] By the end of the 1996–97 season, Abdur-Rahim led the team in scoring on 33 occasions, rebounding the ball on 23 occasions.[1]

For the next few seasons, Abdur-Rahim remained the centerpiece of the Grizzlies team. In his sophomore season, he averaged 22.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg and 2.6 assists per game (apg).[5] The following season, he elevated his performance with 23.0 ppg, 7.5 rpg, and 3.4 apg.[5] Despite his best efforts, the Grizzlies remained grounded at the bottom two spots of the Midwest Division in his first four seasons.[6][7][8][9] For the 2000–01 season, Abdur-Rahim finished with a 20 ppg-plus average for the fourth straight season[5] and was ranked in the top 20 in 13 NBA statistical categories, once again leading the Grizzlies in both ppg and rpg.[1] Abdur-Rahim's importance to the team was highlighted in a game against the Indiana Pacers on 1 December 2000, when he earned all of the 20 points scored by the Grizzlies in the final quarter of the game.[1]

[edit] Atlanta Hawks

On 27 June 2001, the Atlanta Hawks reached an agreement to acquire Abdur-Rahim and the 27th overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft from the Vancouver Grizzlies in exchange for Brevin Knight, Lorenzen Wright and Pau Gasol, the third overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft.[10] Abdur-Rahim's return to his hometown, and expected partnership with sophomore Jason Terry, provided a significant amount of buzz around the league.[11] While the Hawks finished the 2001–02 campaign with a 33–49 win-loss record, Abdur-Rahim's performances, including a career-high 50-point game,[5] ensured that he would be selected to the NBA All-Star game for that season.[11]

In his second season with the Hawks, Abdur-Rahim achieved another personal milestone on 28 December 2002, when his jump shot against the Washington Wizards made him the fifth-youngest player in NBA history to reach 10,000-points.[1] Needless to say, although Glenn Robinson, Jason Terry and Abdur-Rahim combined to average 57.9 ppg and become the highest-scoring trio in the league for the 2002–03 season,[11] the Hawks failed to make the playoffs again. With an average of 19.9 ppg and 8.4 rpg, Abdur-Rahim played in all but one of the Hawks' games.[5] By the end of the season, Hawks General Manager Billy Knight decided major changes had to be made for the franchise to move forward, and Abdur-Rahim was traded the next season.[11]

[edit] Portland Trail Blazers

Along with Theo Ratliff and Dan Dickau in exchange for Rasheed Wallace and Wesley Person, Abdur-Rahim was sent to the Portland Trail Blazers on February 9, 2004.[12] His impact in the two seasons with the Trailblazers was considerably less than in previous seasons. His average was 16.3ppg/7.5rpg and 16.8/7.3rpg for the 2003–04 and 2004–05 campaigns respectively.[5] At the end of the 2004–05 season, Abdur-Rahim became a free agent.[12]

During the 2005 off-season, he was traded via a sign and trade agreement (in principle) to the New Jersey Nets for a first-round draft pick (which Portland planned to trade to the Phoenix Suns for Leandro Barbosa). On August 4, 2005, though the news conference was planned to announce the postponement of his arrival, it was revealed that he failed a required physical due to scar tissue found in his knee. The trade was put on hold, pending a second opinion from other medical sources. On August 7, Abdur-Rahim was quoted saying: "I don't feel I want to be a Net".[13] He felt the knee was a non-issue, claiming that he never missed a game in his entire career because of the knee injury. Two days later, it was announced that New Jersey decided to rescind the trade.[12]

[edit] Sacramento Kings

On August 12, 2005, Abdur-Rahim signed a free agent contract with the Sacramento Kings.[12] In his first season with them, Abdur-Rahim started in 30 of the 72 games he played. As a starter, he averaged 16.0 ppg, 6.2 rpg and 3.0 apg. He shot .543 for field goal percentage, .417 from the three point range, and almost .800 from the free throw line.[1] The Kings went on to qualify for the 2006 playoffs. Abdur-Rahim made his postseason career debut against the San Antonio Spurs.[1] At the same time, he ended a streak of having played the most number of games in NBA history without participating in the post-season.[14] In his second season with the Kings, Abdur-Rahim continued to be deployed as a sixth man; however, the Kings failed to secure a playoff berth as Abdur-Rahim recorded a career-low ppg.[5]

[edit] International career
Olympic medal record
Men's Basketball
Gold Sydney 2000 United States

Prior to joining the NBA, Abdur-Rahim was the USA's leading scorer and rebounder at the 1994 COPABA Junior World Championship Qualifying Tournament held in Santa Rosa, Argentina.[2] He averaged a double-double of 16.8 points and 10.1 rebounds. While trying for a team high in blocked shots averaging 1.6 blocks per game, he helped push the American squad to an 8–0 record, the gold medal, and a qualifying berth in the 1995 FIBA Junior World Championship.[2] The following May he was named to USA Basketball's 1995 Junior Select Team that captured an 86–77 victory over an International Select Team in the inaugural Hoop Summit Game.[2]

While playing for the Grizzlies, together with several NBA stars such as Kevin Garnett and Tim Hardaway, Abdur-Rahim was selected to be part of the USA Men's basketball team which won the gold medal at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.[15]